Human Papilloma Virus (HPV): cos'è? come causa i tumori? come curarlo? quali test abbiamo?

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a very common infection, primarily sexually transmitted. Although in most cases it is transient and without obvious symptoms, it sometimes manifests itself through benign lesions on the skin and mucous membranes. In rarer cases, where the immune system is unable to rapidly eradicate the virus, HPV can lead to the onset of cancers such as cervical cancer, currently the only form of cancer recognized as entirely attributable to an infection. HPV is also implicated in the pathogenesis of other genital (vulva, vagina, anus, penis) and extragenital (oral cavity, pharynx, larynx) cancers. In the case of chronic infection, the cancerous lesion generally develops within 7 to 15 years of infection. The pathological repercussions are related to the type of viral strain with which one comes into contact. More than 120 HPV types have been identified to date, distinguished and classified based on the risk of neoplastic transformation. Of the 12 strains classified as high-risk, two (HPV 16 and 18) have been shown to be primarily responsible for the infection's cancerous progression. Among the low-risk strains, which typically cause genital lesions with a lower risk of malignant transformation, serotypes 6 and 11 alone are responsible for approximately 90% of genital warts. SYMPTOMS The symptoms caused by HPV infection depend exclusively on the infecting virus serotype and the lesions that subsequently develop. With regard to low-risk serotypes, after the initial, almost always asymptomatic, stages, the infection typically manifests with the appearance of genital warts on the cervix, vulva, vagina, perineum, or anus, or extragenital warts on the nose, mouth, or larynx. Occasionally, these lesions can appear as growths several centimeters in size that resemble a rooster's comb; these are called condylomata acuminata. Often harmless, in some cases, warts and genital warts can cause itching, discomfort, and mild pain. The presence of warts or genital warts is common and should not be associated with an increased risk of developing cancer. Regarding high-risk serotypes, infections caused by these viruses cause subclinical manifestations, which are not identifiable to the naked eye but can be detected through specific tests. The symptoms of cervical cancer may be completely absent, or so mild and subtle that they go completely unnoticed. As cervical cancer progresses and the chances of cure diminish, typical symptoms of the disease may appear: bleeding after sexual intercourse and mild pain during it, watery or bloody vaginal discharge, sometimes with an unpleasant odor, pelvic pain, and vaginal bleeding outside of menstrual periods or after menopause. Other forms of cancer related to HPV infection can also develop without any signs or symptoms, typically only appearing when the cancer reaches an advanced stage that is difficult to treat.